Coffee bean roasting devices currently on the market are quite elaborate and consequently are very costly to the average consumer. Examples of such roasters are disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,964,175; 4,326,114; 4,691,447; and 4,489,506. The latter patent recognizes the problem of auto-ignition of chaff removed from the coffee bean. This patent provides a mechanical collection system for separating the chaff from the beans during the roasting process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,682 does disclose and claim a simple and hence an inexpensive coffee roaster that comprises a dish-shaped container that must be shaken during the roasting process. However, such prior art coffee roasters do not solve the problem of auto-ignition of the chaff.
Instead of purchasing the relatively expensive coffee roasters currently on the market, consumers have attempted to use the relatively inexpensive electrical popcorn poppers. Such poppers are disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,843. Such attempts have been largely unsuccessful because of the chaff auto-ignition problem that resulted in flash fires during the roasting process.
There is an almost universal interest in roasting an individual consumer's coffee or cocoa beans on the way to producing a more flavorful cup of coffee or cocoa. Consequently, there is a need for a simple and inexpensive device for roasting the beans with the concomitant solution to the chaff auto-ignition problem.